Benefitting

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world with the largest number of active volcanoes and earthquakes, many of which occur at sea, making tsunamis an additional risk. Floods and landslides are the most common disasters, particularly in Tana Toraja.

At the same time, communities routinely face many everyday disasters from other hazards that cause injuries and death, many of which could be prevented. Children are especially at risk of drowning, minor accidents and, most commonly, illness from poor hygiene and sanitation.

In Tanja Tora, as in much of the world, schools are a place suited for identifying and mitigating risk and harm, whether a threat is from a natural disaster, from unsafe buildings or roads, from poor hygiene and sanitation or from ignorance about children’s rights to protection.

In partnering with schools in Tanja Tora, CWS staff help communities mitigate a wide range of risk factors and support children as change agents. Teachers and other adult community members learn about risks from poor hygiene and sanitation as well as poor building standards, and about how a lack of strong, positive child protection practices put children at risk for trafficking and abuse. The adults then help children identify the many different kinds of risks, and then work together to identify the community’s capacity to reduce risk. As a result, children’s school environments are safer, and children are taking action to reduce risks in their schools and communities.